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NHL Picks

Take Islanders on the Money Line Over Capitals in Game 3 for Your NHL Picks

Our resident NHL handicapping professional heads into the weekend having gone 5-0-1 with his 2015 Stanley Cup Playoff selections. He’ll be covering Game 3 of the series between the Capitals and Islanders that resumes on Sunday. His betting preview article finishes up with a money line selection on this contest.

Isles and Caps Game 2 on Sunday
The New York Islanders will entertain the Washington Capitals at 12:05 PM ET on Sunday in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. The teams split the first two games played in Washington with the Islanders winning the series opener 4-1, and the Capitals overcoming a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 in Game 2. Currently the Islanders are favorites on the NHL betting odds.

Islanders squander a Golden OpportunityThe Islanders let the Capitals off the hook on Friday. They opened up a 3-1 second period lead, and appeared to be well on their way to taking a 2-0 advantage in the series. However, they allowed the Capitals to rally, and eventually fell 4-3. All in all, if you told Islanders players and coaches before the series began, they were going to get a split in Washington, chances are the majority of them would’ve been elated with that scenario. The Islanders return home to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum where they’ve gone a solid 25-16 during the 2014-2015 NHL regular season campaign. Despite Friday’s loss, the Islanders have gone a superb 22-10 this season when facing Metropolitan Division opponents, and are averaging a robust 3.7 goals per game in those thirty-two contests.

Capitals look to build off Momentum from Comeback Win
There was a time on Friday evening that the Capitals were looking dead in the water, pertaining to their chances of winning this series. However, they rallied from a two goal deficit to win, and ultimately evened the series at 1-1. They should now have a new lease on their playoff lives heading into Game 3 in Long Island. The Capitals have gone a more than respectable 23-19 this season when playing away from the Verizon Center in Washington. This will be the Capitals first road game in the last fourteen days, and they’ve gone 6-2 in the last eight when assuming that role.

NHL Money Line Angle
Any home team (Islanders) against the money line, coming off a road one goal loss, and is facing a team (Capitals) coming off a one goal win over a divisional opponent, resulted in that team going 53-21 (71.6%) during the past five seasons. The home team’s average money line in those seventy-four games was -124.8, and I’m going to follow this handicapping logic when making one of my NHL picks for Sunday

NHL Pick: Islanders -138 on the money line over the Capitals on Sunday.